IPL 2023: 3 surprise picks for Dream11 fantasy team for DC vs CSK match

The Delhi Capitals (DC) take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a crunch clash in the playoffs race of IPL 2023 on Saturday, May 20, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

CSK's home defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders has hurt their chances of making the playoffs and a defeat away against the Capitals could even see them drop out of the top four by Sunday. While CSK comfortably overcame David Warner's side in the reverse fixture, they are a dangerous side especially when they're playing with plenty of freedom and nothing to lose.

DC's clinical batting already ruined Punjab Kings' chances of making the playoffs, and they'll want nothing more than to put on a show for their home fans and finish this season on a high.

Let's look at three Dream11 differentials for this DC vs CSK clash.

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#3 Kuldeep Yadav (DC)

Kuldeep Yadav has arguably been DC’s best bowler this season, but due to a lack of support from the other end or a lack of backing from the skipper and some poor fielding, he has not gotten nearly enough wickets as he should have. On a pacer-friendly deck against PBKS, he saw two sitters get dropped off his bowling, with Nortje shelling a sitter from Liam Livingstone’s bat that cost the team 91 runs.

However, in their last group stage game on a spin-friendly wicket in Delhi, he’ll look to finish this season on a positive note and increase his wickets tally. The CSK batters struggled against quality spin bowling in their game against KKR, and someone like Kuldeep will capitalize on that weakness.

His lack of wickets could’ve led to his low ownership, but he remains a quality Dream11 pick for this game.

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#2 Maheesh Theekshana (CSK)

Maheesh Theekshana has fared better in away games in IPL 2023.

It hasn’t been a good season for Sri Lankan mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the IPL. There were plenty of expectations from the youngster leading up to this season, with him expected to be a part of CSK’s main spin-bowling trio alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali.

However, on a spin-friendly venue like Chepauk, Theekshana struggled to pick up wickets and could pick up only one scalp leading to many fans calling for Mitchell Santner to replace him in the playing XI. However, MS Dhoni isn’t someone that drops a player on a whim, and he should get backed till the end of the season.

Theekshana’s performance has been much better in the away matches, and with DC’s batting lineup also struggling against spin, you’d expect him to increase his wicket count in this game.

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#1 Prithvi Shaw (DC)

A back-in-form Prithvi Shaw could be an enticing Dream11 differential as DC take on CSK in their final match of IPL 2023. Restoring Shaw to the playing XI against PBKS was a bold move from the DC management that paid off. He’s a confidence player, and after getting some runs under his belt in his last match, he could make a big score against CSK, one of his favorite opponents in the IPL.

The battle between Shaw and CSK new-ball ace Deepak Chahar will be intriguing to watch, and if he can get off to a good start, Shaw should pick up a Dream11 haul in this game.